SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS [2016] [Blu-ray] [UK Release] ‘SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS’ is an Arthur Ransome’s Classic Adventure! The Ultimate Children’s Adventure!
An enchanting new take on the beloved novel by Arthur Ransome, and ‘SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS’ tells the story of the Walker children, whose summer holiday in the Lake District sees them sailing out on their own to a local island, only to find themselves in a competition with a rival group of children who call themselves the Amazons and ultimately an adventure far bigger than they could have imagined.
With a great British cast including Kelly Macdonald, Andrew Scott and Rafe Spall, prepare to be delighted and enchanted by this wonderful tale for the whole family.
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 2017 Golden Trailer Awards: Nominated: Best Foreign Animation/Family Trailer for StudioCanal and Zealot UK. 2017 New York International Children's Film Festival, USA: Win: Grand Prize Feature for Feature Films for BBC Films, British Film Institute (BFI), Philippa Lowthorpe and STUDIOCANAL. Win: Grand Prize Feature for Feature Films for Andrea Gibb, BBC Films, (BFI) British Film Institute, Philippa Lowthorpe and StudioCanal. 2017 Royal Television Society, UK: Nominated: RTS West Television Award for Best Director Drama for Philippa Lowthorpe. 2017 Seattle International Film Festival: Win: Films4Families Youth Jury Award for Philippa Lowthorpe. Win: Films4Families Youth Jury Award for Best Film for Andrea Gibb and Philippa Lowthorpe.
FILM FACT No.2: Principal photography on the film ‘SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS’ began on the 21st June, 2015 in the Lake District, North West England. The film was also shot in Yorkshire, at Plumpton Rocks parkland near Harrogate (the location for 'Wild Cat Island'). "The original Swallows and Amazons saw its intrepid children battling the perilous waters of the Lake District summer, a grumpy uncle and, occasionally, one another. The 2016 update, a BBC film of the same name, will add one further foe to that list: gun-toting Russian spies in their midst. The tweaks to the film were inspired by the real life of author Arthur Ransome, who is now known to have been an MI6 spy. At one point, papers in the National Archive reveal, he was under suspicion of being a double agent for Russia. The film plot used Arthur Ransome’s story as the inspiration for the character of Jim Turner, always thought to have been partially based on the writer himself."
Cast: Bobby McCulloch, Dane Hughes, Kelly Macdonald, Abbie Glozier, Megan Glozier, Teddie-Rose Malleson-Allen, Orla Hill, Andrew Scott, Dan Renton Skinner, Rafe Spall, Harry Enfield, Jessica Hynes, Fenella Woolgar, Jack Ibbotson, Richard Bremmer, Neil Bell, Seren Hawkes, Hannah Jayne Thorp, Elizabeth Berrington, John Henshaw, Glen Goodey, Julien Evans, John Russell, Chris Anastasi (uncredited), Jamie Darlington (uncredited), Paul Redfern (uncredited), Nicola Simonds (uncredited), Phil Tillott (uncredited), Richard Varley (uncredited) and Sophie Wardlow (uncredited)
Director: Philippa Lowthorpe
Producers: Alexa Seligman, Beth Pattinson, Christine Langan, Dan MacRae, Danny Gulliver, Danny Perkins, Hugo Heppell, Ian Maiden, Jenny Borgars, Joe Oppenheimer, John Jencks, Natascha Wharton, Nick Barton, Nick O'Hagan, Patrick Fischer, Peter Watson, Steve Milne and Thorsten Schumacher
Screenplay: Andrea Gibb (Screenplay) and Arthur Ransome (based on the book)
Composer: Ilan Eshkeri
Costume Designer: Amy Roberts
Cinematography: Julian Court, B.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Audio: English: 2.0 LPCM Stereo Audio
English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
English: DTS Audio Description
Subtitles: English HOH
Running Time: 97 minutes
Region: Region B/2
Number of discs: 1
Studio: BBC Films / British Film Institute / HanWay Films / STUDIOCANAL
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: With the film ‘SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS’ [2016] be prepared to be transported by this latest take on Arthur Ransome's classic 1930’s adventure – a radical reminder of an era when "children being left to their own devices" meant something entirely different. For today’s children, this fresh adaptation of Arthur Ransome’s classic Lake District tale must seem as if it’s taking place on some distant planet.
With this big screen version ‘SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS’ of Arthur Ransome’s classic story dates from 1974, a time that in terms of its attitude to childhood now seems hardly less distant than the novel’s between-the-wars setting. The Walker children are on their holidays in the Lake District – a week devoted to the idyllic pleasures of sailing their boat, the Swallow, and camping out on an island. Perhaps because making a movie with young children and sailing their dinghy boats is a very technical, time-consuming business, not a lot happens in director Claude Whatham and scriptwriter David Wood’s pared down adaptation.
The film’s rhythm is episodic and pleasantly inconsequential. The children get to learn about fishing and foraging, setting up makeshift tents with blankets and ropes. They have a run-in with the aptly named Amazons, some very strapping mean girls who have a boat of their own. There’s a comedy relief adult, Uncle Jim [Ronald Fraser], a silly old duffer who is Arthur Ransome sending himself up. And there’s a little bit of intrigue to do with some burglars and Uncle Jim’s stolen trunk.
Not exactly action-packed, but it’s plenty to be going on with, because for the children the real adventure – and this the film captures very well – in showing us the Walker children being out and about by themselves, with no parents to order them about and with the world or at any rate Coniston Water, as their oyster. Yes, modern children might struggle to connect with the frightfully posh, relentlessly upbeat Walker children, and they might find a good part of their seafaring chatter incomprehensible, but they would probably still long to be in their shoes, and that’s all that matters.
For adults watching ‘SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS’ will create an longing of nostalgia. The whole thing is steeped in a kind of naivety and innocence that seem unobtainable for modern children. The film benefited from a leisurely seven week shoot, making use of the exact locations that Arthur Ransome referred to in his book, and the young actors were allowed to mess about on the water in a manner that probably wouldn’t be permitted in these health and safety conscious days: their acting skills might be variable, but they all seen well up to handling their dinghy boats.
Director Philippa Lowthorpe works brilliantly with the junior cast, where Dane Hughes’s oldest boy conveys the weight of responsibility, Teddie-Rose Malleson-Allen is a smart and sparky Tatty, and Bobby McCulloch as Roger gets the biggest laughs as the adorably bumbling junior crew member.
‘SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS’ gives you a free-spirited sense of preteen paradise is overwhelming, as if rose-tinted nostalgia of childhood adventures and better bygone days has been physically melded into the cameras’ lenses. The Lake District provides stunning scenery, beautifully captured by cinematographer Julian Court, the woods and water offering a diverse depth to play in. This is, of course, the setting for Arthur Ransome’s generation-defining stories of memorable summer holidays. Even if the details don’t directly apply, every viewer will relate to one or more of the children, in one or more of their situations; they are our avatars in this reimagining of our own upbringing.
It is refreshing that, in keeping with the theme of preadolescent innocence, romantic love has no place here. The boys and girls aren’t distracted from their friendships and rivalries, and even the adults keep their hands and minds clean. That’s representative of ‘SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS’ as a whole; Britain’s green-and-pleasantness condensed into an easy-to-swallow antidote to negativity.
All in all, it’s an intelligent, involving, beautifully mounted adaptation of material that might easily have seemed an old-fashioned relic. And the grey, blustery Lake District weather could hardly be more British.
* * * * *
Blu-ray Image Quality – BBC Films, British Film Institute, HanWay Films and STUDIOCANAL presents the film ‘SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS’ with an amazing 1080p image as well as a truly wonderful 2.39:1 aspect ratio. The image quality is absolutely stunning and also spectacular. Detail levels are very high and the contrast and tones are totally exceptional. The colours are vibrant and showcase the beautiful scenery of the Lake District and surrounding areas, and especially on the lake, especially with the bright blue sky to the rolling fields. Also outstanding is the colours of the wonderful clothing which reflects the period really well. What is also totally amazing is how they have brilliantly captured the period of 1974 and especially with brilliant Cinematography Julian Court, B.S.C. who has done a really fine professional job and makes watching the film even more enjoyable. Please Note: Playback Region B/2: This will not play on most Blu-ray players sold in North America, Central America, South America, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Learn more about Blu-ray region specifications.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – BBC Films, British Film Institute, HanWay Films and STUDIOCANAL brings the film ‘SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS’ with a really nice 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack experience. The dialogue, the wonderful ambient sounds of the countryside, the lapping of the water against the sailing boats are lifelike, but most of all you get the wonderful sounds of the period, especially when you get a clear sound experience with the wonderful steam trains giving us a reassuringly loud noise as they steam past the camera, and of course the whistle of the steam train adds to the wonderful ambience of the sound experience. So all in all this has been a totally brilliant professional effort on the part of STUDIOCANAL.
* * * * *
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: Bringing A Classic Tale To Life [2016] [1080p] [2.39:1 / 1.78:1] [2:46] With this featurette, it is mainly talking about the characters in the film and especially the four Walker children and their Mother and baby go on a holiday to the Lake District in the summer of 1935 and the children especially are looking forward to an adventure and especially into the unknown and also to discover a secret undiscovered island in the middle of the lake and of course when four children land on the island, there they set up camp, where they find two other girls on the island who are called the “Amazon Warriors” who declare it is there island and also declare war on the Walker children. In the meantime there is this mysterious grumpy man and the four children imagine him to be a pirate and at the same time there are two other shady men trying to find out information on Jim Turner aka “Captain Flint” and the four Walker children get seriously involved and what turns out to be for them total make believe, but instead it turns out to be something really weird. Nick Barton informs us that he was big fan of the author Arthur Ransome, but now he was keen to transfer the famous novel to the big screen and also to try and honour the novel and to make a film that all generations will want to enjoy viewing. What the team behind the film felt it was very important to show the spirit of author Arthur Ransome and of course the adventure of young children and their experiences and the way they eventually all bonded together by the end of the film and especially the two young girls who were their rivals at the start of the film. Another thing we find out is that everyone got on really well when shooting the film, but most important is that it was vital to shoot the film in the Lake District, and the children has a really great time, especially sailing on the lake and they all thought the Lake District was so totally stunning and also had an epic feel to the location. But also in the film is that the children are aware of something strange going on in the adult world, but also experiencing anger and danger, and there is really lovely message at the heart of the story, but at the same time you do not believe all you see around you at first and not only the children, but also the adults. At that point the featurette ends. We get lots of clips from the film, plus also lots of clips of behind-the-scene filming. Contributors include: Philippa Lowthorpe [Director], Kelly Macdonald [Mrs. Walker, the mother of the Walker children], Teddie-Rose Malleson-Allen [Tatty Walker], Rafe Spall [Jim Turner aka “Captain Flint” the uncle of the Blackett children], Nick Barton [Producer], Orla Hill [Susan Walker], Dane Hughes [John Walker], Andrew Scott [Lazlow a “secret agent”] and Jessica Hynes [Mrs. Jackson, the wife of Mr. Jackson].
Special Feature: Deleted Scenes [2016] [1080p] [1.78:1] [7:12] Here we get to view five specific deleted scenes that was not included in the film, that I suspect they did not fit in with the flow of the film.
Special Feature: Clappers [2016] [1080p] [1.78:1] [1:17] Here we get to view in this short featurette different types of Clapper Slates used when they either start shooting a scene or when they shout out to indicate the scene is in the can, and the first Clapper Slate we get to view has all kinds of pirate symbols painted on it. The next Clapper Slate has more pirate symbols painted on it. The next Clapper Slate is in the shape of a wooden dinghy boat like what the children used and on the top of it is a cloth sail and wooden rig. The next Clapper Slate is in the shape a nice big baked shepherd’s pie in a metal dish. The next Clapper Slate is in the style of a shadow puppet performance being backlit onto a white sheet. The last Clapper Slate has been painted white onto one of those folding black plastic tent.
Special Feature: Sailing With The Crew [2016] [1080p] [1.78:1] [4:50] This featurette is basically behind-the-scene filming with the cast and crew out sailing on the lake, and the six children in two dinghy boats and you get to hear them being giving instructions by the crew about manoeuvring the two sailing dinghy boats to get a good shot of them.
Special Feature: Interviews [2016] [1080p] [1.78:1] [21:14] With this featurette we get to hear the views from Kelly Macdonald, Andrea Gibb and Rafe Spall on their experiences with the film ‘SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS.’ Each interview is broken up into different headings and they are as follows: How Important Is The Message Of Exploration And Adventure For Kids Today?; Do You Think Parenting Has Changed Since The Time The Film Was Set?; What Were The Young Actors Like To Work With?; As The Film Develops, The Children become More Adventurous. Was This The Case Off Screen Too?; What Was it Like Filming In The Lake District?; How Was It Working With Philippa Lowthorpe?; What Were You Most Excited About After Reading The Script For The First Time?; Were You Adventurous As A Child?; What Do You Hope Both Adults And Children Take Away From The Film?; Swallows Or Amazons?; What Did You Enjoy Most About Filming?; Is The Finished Film How You Imagined?; What Appealed To You About The Story Of Swallows & Amazons?; Do You Think A Steer Away From CGI Helped With That?; How Did You Achieve A Balance Between The Spy Storyline And Kids’ Adventures?; What Are The Differences Between The Original Vision And The Finished Film?; Do You Have A Favourite Character?; Did Your Own Acting Experience Affect Your Writing?; Did You Have Much Of A Say In The Set, Locations and Costumes Used?; As The Film Developed, The Children Become More Adventurous. Was This The Case Off Screen Too?; Do You Think Adventure And Testing Limits Are An Important Part Of Growing Up?; It’s Rumoured That Arthur Ransome Was A Russian Spy/ Do You Think Your Character “Captain Flint” Is A Nod Towards That?; Is That Something That Attracted You To The Role?; What Was It Like Working With Philippa Lowthorpe?; How Was Shooting In The Lakes?; What Were The Young Actors Like To Work With?; Is The Finished Film How You Imagined?; Are There Any Major Differences Between The Script And The Finished Film?; Do You Agree That The Spy Storyline Didn’t Over Shadow The Children’s Storyline?; As The Film Develops, The Children Become More Adventurous. Was This The Case Off Screen Too?; Swallows Or Amazons? and Was The Move Away From CGI Something That Attracted You To The Project? This featurette is really special and at the same time it is really great to hear from the three bring interviewed and how everyone got on so well with each other, also filming in the Lake District and how they feel the film translated from the novel to the big screen adaption and on top of all that, the three people being interviewed is well worth viewing in hearing their personal views. You can either watch each interview separately or Play All.
Trailers: Here we get to view three trailers and they are as follows: WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE [2014] [1080p] [1.78:1] [1:33]; ROBINSON CRUSOE [2016] [1080p] [1.39:1] [1:15] and Song Of The Sea [2014] [1080p] [1.78:1] [1:48].
Finally, ‘SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS’ is perfectly enjoyable summer holiday material, as long as you don’t miss a sunny day to see it and you will instantly regret not being the on a lake or playing at piracy. As a faithful adaptation, director Philippa Lowthorpe’s film will warm hearts in young and old of all ages. ‘SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS’ has a really excellent 1080p image presentation and especially with the brilliant Denis Lewiston’s Eastmancolor cinematography has the gauzy shimmer of a Newlyn School painting, and they were an art colony of artists based in or near Newlyn, a fishing village adjacent to Penzance, on the south coast of Cornwall, from the 1880’s until the early twentieth century. The establishment of the Newlyn School was reminiscent of the Barbizon School in France, where artists fled Paris to paint in a more pure setting emphasising natural light. These schools along with a related California movement were also known as and “En plein” air. The scenery is totally enchanting, the film is packed with wonderful vintage trimmings, including gorgeous clinker-construction dinghy boats which are all made of wood, and no fibreglass, and it’s enough to turn the most confirmed couch potatoes into an outdoors person. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
